ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Strong and the Greater Rochester Martin Luther King Jr. Commission have teamed up to celebrate Juneteenth. Admission as well as parking will be free on Saturday, June 19.
The event kicks off with a traditional opening ceremony that includes pouring of libations by an elder, a drum call, and singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Common Ground Health will be onsite offering free COVID-19 vaccinations with no appointments necessary. Outside, the ROC Freedom Riders Zone will be a gathering point for the Freedom Riders, and other onsite activities include music and entertainment from Beat 105.5 and community partners Healthi Kids and FoodLink.
Inside the museum, guests can:
- Listen to stories of a beautiful, vibrant, and diverse people passed down through generations, told by the Blackstorytelling League of Rochester at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
- Sway to the rhythms of the YMCA Dreamseeds Jazz Band at noon and 1 p.m.
- Meet local authors Leslie C. Youngblood, from 11 a.m. to noon, and Nykki Matthews, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy an ensemble performance from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra at 2 p.m.
- Make Juneteenth crafts and help Hive Creative Collective create a community mural.
- Also, check out the self-guided Black History Artifact Tour in the museum’s exhibits.
Admission and parking are free on June 19.